WELCOME to

Aqua Paws Rehabilitation

Our mission is to get your best friend back on their paws!

We provide the same quality service to our clients that we would expect for our own furry family members. Petra combines twelve plus years of hands-on experience with the latest rehabilitation techniques. The Aqua Paws staff is caring, empathetic and trained to the highest standards.

Marino and Kari are both retired Seeing Eye dogs. These dogs work hard providing an invaluable service to those in need. Marino was getting ready to retire. His owner took him to the vet for a check-up only to discover he had a large tumor in his mouth. They removed the tumor but the prognosis was grim. They only gave him three to six months to live.

Alphie is a six-month old Labrador Retriever puppy in the Puppies Behind Bars Program. Over the years I have given multiple in-services on puppy and adult conditioning and have donated conditioning equipment to the program. The staff and puppy raisers are always incredibly receptive and work hard to ensure the puppies are successful.

After seeing several veterinarians, doctors found Bruno suffered from severe malnutrition and was likely paralyzed from being kept in a small crate with no bedding. Bruno eventually ended up at Aqua Dog Rehabilitation where the team agreed to work on him pro-bono.

“Honestly, we looked at each other and were not sure if we could really help him,” Petra Ford said.

The Northeast Regional Qualifier for the National Obedience Invitational was held in Bloomsburg, PA the weekend of July 27-29, 2018. All of the top teams travel to attend the Regional events and the competition is fierce.

Karl and Bailey Bloksberg competed in the AKC National Championship in Orlando, Florida. He competed in the prestigious Owner Handled class. Only the top 10 Rhodesian Ridgebacks in the country are invited to compete.

The National Obedience Championship was held March 25 and 26 in Perry, Georgia. The top obedience dogs in the country must qualify to receive an invitation to compete in this prestigious event. It is a grueling competition. Saturday starts with 140 dogs. Each dog competes in 8 rings. The top 50 teams move on to the second round on Sunday morning.

Lady has been adopted! Even better…she’s back with her brother, Rico!

When I purchased Playful Paws, I also inherited Lady and Rico. Lady and Rico were surrendered approximately two years ago and have lived in the kennel ever since. The prior owners weren't sure what to do with them when we took over. We told them they could stay. We would do what we could to get them adopted. Rico and Lady have both been the vet, were updated on all of their shots and had a full workup done. Rico was very skinny and we were concerned. But both received a clean bill of health. We provided them with collars, toys, chews, beds and walks. Most importantly, Patty and all the girls at Playful Paws provided them with lots and lots of love and attention. But our primary goal has always been to find them forever homes. We found Rico a forever home recently, but Lady was still up for adoption. We were worried that Lady would spend the rest of her years here. While our kennel is a beautiful, happy place to spend a day, a week, a month, we wanted our precious Lady to have a Forever Home. Then, lo and behold, the very same wonderful man that adopted our Rico agreed to adopt Lady too! Can you believe it?! We are all so thrilled that Lady and Rico, sister and brother, are back together again, in a loving home, with a loving family!

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We offer specialized boarding for dogs currently undergoing rehabilitation, handicapped dogs, and dogs with special needs. Over the years, countless clients asked us if we knew where they could board their injured dogs. These dogs need very special and specific care. I am happy to say that we are now able to offer this to all of our clients. We WILL adhere to all restrictions and instructions such as pottying only on leash, no jumping, no running, etc. Our trained staff will carry out your dog's home exercise program as prescribed by your dog's rehabilitation therapist so there is no loss of continuity in your dog's care while you are away. Where you are going on vacation or traveling for work, you can rest assured that your dog is in safe, competent and loving hands. You can choose to continue your dog's rehab at Aqua Paws while you are away so your dog continues to progress. Give us a call to see if your dog is a good candidate!

We know how challenging it can be to rehabilitate an injured dog. We all lead busy lives so we understand how hard it is to find time to bring your dog to rehab and carry out the home exercise program. Whether your dog is recovering from surgery, a soft tissue injury, a neurological injury or requires conditioning we can rehabilitate your dog. While boarding at Playful Paws at Petra’s, your dog will receive scheduled rehabilitation sessions with Petra Ford, PT, CCRT, a “home exercise program” carried out by our highly qualified and trained staff and all restrictions will be strictly adhered to. You can have peace of mind knowing that your dog is in highly qualified and experienced hands.